Thursday, March 29, 2012

Jewelry Made From Recycled Plastic Bottles


I've been having so much fun making earrings and necklaces from empty plastic (PET) bottles and milk jugs!   You too can make your own jewelry from plastic bottles that would normally be thrown away or recycled. 
To make your own jewelry, use your imagination.  Save your recycling. I think the see-through colored bottles are especially pretty.  I've saved many plastic bottles, including soda bottles, body spray bottles and even childrens' "bubble bottles".  You can purchase     "findings" (links, etc.) to connect your pieces or you can use wire, fishing line or other items you have on hand.  

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To make my jewelry I used purchased "fish hook" style earring bases and round links.  I spent just pennies per piece of jewelry.  See the photo tutorial below to make your own!  It's easy, I promise!

For more great ideas on recycling items to make beautiful jewelry and accessories you might want to check out the following resources ~

Green Bling: Turning Bottles Into Bangles (Leisure Arts #4335) (Clever Crafter)

Jewelry Upcycled!: 

Techniques and Projects for Reusing Metal, Plastic, Glass, Fiber, and Found Objects



Look for bottles that have a "1" OR a "2" in the recycling "marking" on the bottom of the bottle.

I've found that this for the most part includes plastic beverage containers, medication bottles, body sprays, milk jugs, etc.
 
 
Cut desired shapes from your empty, clean bottles.
 
 
Using pliers or tweezers to protect your hands melt edges slightly to create desired look.  I've researched and PET bottles are considered very safe for melting and incineration regarding toxic fumes.  

I would recommend that you use common precautions and make certain your work space has adequate ventilation. 

 
The plastic will sometimes curl rapidly so be very careful to protect your hands. As you can see, I often don't follow my own advice....


The pieces (depending on the shape) will look somewhat like this when you are done melting them.  I use a safety pin to poke holes where I wish to attach links, etc.

Earrings fashioned out of milk jugs and old buttons.


Earrings made from "bubble solution" container

Earrings made from a 
soda bottle







 

Made from soda bottles
and food container lid

Cobalt earrings
from body spray bottle



Earrings made from body
spray bottle.

Amber earrings from medicine bottle
These pieces are a fun way to turn recycled items into wearable art! If I can make these, just imagine what you can do!

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63 comments:

  1. Absolutely amazing! The earrings are beautiful!

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    1. Aw, thanks Mama Pea! Your positive feedback means a lot to me! Have a wonderful night!

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  2. those are all great! I especially love the ones made from milk jugs.

    Speaking of milk jugs another blog I follow had a post on how to make your own reusable food containers from milk jugs. In case you have some more jugs lying around : )
    http://sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-re-usable-lunch-containers.html

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    1. Tammy, Thank you so much! I really appreciate the link because with a family the size of mine (8) and a daycare, I ALWAYS have tons of milk jug lying around!

      Have a great day!

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    2. You are a brave young woman!!!

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  3. Those are great! I never would have thought to do that, they are so pretty. Ann

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    1. Ann, Thank you so much for the encouragement! I really enjoyed the process of making them!

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  4. Wow, Poppy ~ how beautifully creative! Amazing what can be made from things ordinarily thrown away. I am impressed.

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    1. Julie,

      Thank you for the kind words! I love making them and especially love knowing I'm saving a few bottles from the recycling bin or the trash!

      Have a great weekend!

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  5. These are so cute! Thanks for sharing the DIY!

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    1. My pleasure Bee Girl! Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. You really need an Etsy shop - just think: they could catch on like the Croc decorations or Silly Bandz or those hair feathers :)

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    1. Thanks Jenyfer! I'm not sure whether I want to sell them or just give other people the idea to make them! I really do enjoy making them though.....Hmmmmmm.......

      Have a great day!

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  7. hey these are great but if I make these can I sell them in my online shop. Gigi

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    1. does that go for anyone????

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    2. Absolutely Bev Raznoff! I don't own the idea :) Just wanted to share with readers a cool way to recycle their plastic bottles!

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  8. oh I love that you have shown us how to do it.

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  9. hi . this is some awesome stuff. thanks for sharing.

    Recycling Plastic Containers

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    1. Thank you Nola! Be sure and share photos of your creations if you give it a try :)

      Have a great night!

      Poppy

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  11. Wow!! such a creativity..Its great to find out nice ideas.

    We often dispose plastic to trash which goes to landfills and never been recycled, instead reuse and recycle plastic, glass or cans. Save environment.
    Recycling Plastic Containers

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  12. very nice! Can you tell me if those georgous orange earings are from a plastic medicine bottle? or is it glass?

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    1. They are from a plastic medicine bottle, the prescription type. It looks like glass though, doesn't it?

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    2. That is a very hard plastic. How do you cut it or break it evenly to make the right shapes?

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    3. Hi Judy,

      I just used a pair of good scissors to cut shapes. The process of heating and melting causes the plastic to harden quite a bit.

      Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

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  13. Hey Poppy. Nice job on the earrings. I've made AND sold earrings that I made from soda bottles. I've also done tutorials on YouTube and my blog. There's no reason why you couldn't do both...selling helps support the habit. ;)

    Have you tried using a blow dryer on your PET bottles instead of a lighter? It works great....just another option. Here are the earrings I did that way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JovRZjnRIJw&list=UUz7nP7ooE0RQkGknhKY4osw

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    1. Thanks for the hair dryer idea Tricia! I'll check out your video right away! Have a great weekend.

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  14. I love these earrings. I imagine you could make some intricate flower shapes and combine different colors for blossoms and leaves. Thank you for the idea.

    Manny
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/treasurerocks

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  15. amazing. Love it. Keep up the recycling. Thanks for sharing. :-)

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  16. Hey another thought...............my embossing heat tool from my scrapbooking tools might work...hmmmm

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  17. Your earrings look beautiful!!Thanks for sharing.

    Carol

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  18. Very pretty. I may be making some later today. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. So you can safely melt medicine bottles to create these shapes?

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    2. Yes, as long as it has a "1" or a "2" on the bottom of the bottle is is considered very low risk for melting, etc. Of course you should take precautions, including a mask if you are concerned with your safety. Happy creating!

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    3. Ah okay mine are all 5's VA must not care about recycling them. Bummer. They are all gorgeous and I made some of the milk carton ones and love them. Thanks again :)

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  19. All your designs are so pretty! I love that spiral white one with buttons!

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  20. These are stunning! I love the amber ones, the blue ones, and the green and purple ones the most. :)

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  21. These are stunning! Love the cobalt and amber ones the most. :)

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm glad you like them! Thanks for stopping in :) Have a great day!

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  22. Great ideas ! loved all of them..
    Nice and easy :)

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    1. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Have a great day!

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  23. Are they for sale

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    1. I have a few listed on Amazon under Soda Poppy Jewelry! I'm considering making a few different styles as well.

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  24. How do you paint them? They are so beautiful, especially the purple ones? I tried doing a pair, and there were paint streaks on them. Your jewelry is wonderful

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    1. Thank you for the compliment! I didn't paint the plastic; I just used colored plastic bottles. In the process of melting them, the color (whatever that may be) seems to intensify. I'm curious though - what type of paint did you use? Maybe a different type of paint would give you better results. I wouldn't try melting them after the paint has been applied. I'd be afraid they would catch on fire :)

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  25. Loved your site, no idea how I bumped into it, but my oh my, you have a wonderful site, great ideas, keep it up, keep us posted.

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    1. Thank you! I'm so glad you like it! Have a great day!

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  26. How were you able to cut the medicine bottles?

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    1. I used sturdy scissors and/or wire cutters depending on the area of the medicine bottles.

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  27. How and when do you punch the holes? With what?

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    1. Hi Sharon, I punch holes with a large safety pin but you could use a small finish nail or anything pointy. I use sort of a twisting downward pressure on each piece placed on a wooden cutting board. I punch the holes after I've melted the pieces. The melting process shapes the individual pieces so I decide how I want to hang them after they are melted. Hope this helps!

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  28. About punching the holes, is it easier to do it while the pieces of plastic are quite warm or does it matter?

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    1. It might be easier, but I don't know because I didn't try other than when it was cooled. It wasn't too difficult when cooled. I just used a large safety pin to work a hole into the pieces.

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  29. Me encantan este arte, lo voy a intentar! Gracias por las ideas

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  30. How did you get the milk bottle piece to stay twirled like that, in the earrings with the buttons attached? I have a few pieces that I tried to swirl (because you're right- they don't heat very well. haha) but the shape keeps coming undone? In any case, thanks for the ideas! My husband has been pretty amused with me because I've been going through the house and getting excited with each new bottle I find :D

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    1. I can relate! I view "trash" in a different light now :) Actually, I used a pair of scissors and curled the milk bottle strips much like you would with curling ribbon. If you haven't done that before, it's simple - you just pull the strip along the sharp edge of a pair of scissors, quickly and carefully. If that doesn't work, you could try twisting the strips around a pencil but I didn't have much luck with that if I remember correctly. Good luck and careful curling!

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  31. Beautiful creations!!! I love making jewelry, however, I never knew how to use bottles which is ingenious. Thanks and I will be subscribing.

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    1. Thank you! I absolutely love recycling and repurposing things that we ordinarily use as trash ☺ We would love to see photos of your recycled bottle jewelry when you get the chance!

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    2. Thank you! I absolutely love recycling and repurposing things that we ordinarily use as trash ☺ We would love to see photos of your recycled bottle jewelry when you get the chance!

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  32. Is it alright to post some portion of this on my site essentially present a hyperlink on this site page? primestyle

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    1. Yes, that is fine so long as you have a link back - thank you :)

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